Thin brick products are available in the marketplace. Typically, a regular brick is split longitudinally and the front facing portion is used. The remaining or back portion is discarded. When installed, an attractive natural brick appearance is presented. However, commercialization of this decorative wall facing option is slow in acceptance in part because of an inability to easily and inexpensively attach the facing brick elements to a vertical wall structure
Typically in the art, thin stone or thin brick wall systems are installed by the so-called “lick and stick” method, which involves the use of epoxy adhesive to secure the thin stone or thin brick to plywood or OSB wall cladding, which involves the use of metal lath with a scratch coat of Portland mortar. Such an adhered thin stone or thin brick system is inherently less secure since improper application of the adhesive can lead to stones or bricks separating from the wall, which is both a nuisance and a safety problem. Such adhered thin stone or thin brick systems are typically only used in lower floor applications of residential and commercial buildings as there is a bias against their use on multi-floor buildings. Further, the adhered thin stone or thin brick system is not used in conjunction with other wall elements such as drainage board and weather-resistant wrap. Accordingly, thin stone or thin brick products have in the main been used primarily in commercial building applications.
Various bracket or clip systems have been developed to affix decorative veneer panels made to look like brick or stone to a vertical structural wall. Although useful in particular cases, such systems lack versatility and simplicity, requiring brackets or clips with complicated structures and/or several separate components. Such brackets or clips are difficult to secure to structural walls and require time-consuming alignment of panels. There remains a need in the art for a more versatile, secure and mechanically stronger thin stone or thin brick wall system that is less costly, easier and faster to install and requires less skilled labor.